Fading Stars
by Dogwolf12
Summary: Prequel to Rise of the New. The stars are fading in the aftermath of the Clans. The last legacy of them lies in the warriors on the gathering island, while a few kittypets mourn for their Clan roots and watch the stars. A great evil is taking over in the Clans' place and pushing out all opposition. And the last hope of the StarClan cats is a mysterious prophecy...
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Minnownose watched as the Twoleg kit played in the river, frightening all the fish. It was leaf-fall now, and the disturbance meant that kits would have empty bellies tonight, in the moons when they needed all the fat on them they could get in order to survive the harsh leaf-bare. This had to stop. From his point in the bushes, he tensed. The kit noticed the disturbance and came to him. He heard a yowl, and two hairless paws came down on him. They lifted him out of the bush. Minnownose let out a yowl of shock. He couldn't let this Twoleg take him as a kittypet, not when he'd just had his warrior ceremony! He raked his claws down the kit's face, and the kit immediately dropped him. He ran away, but not before an older Twoleg threw something at him, yowling loudly.

What would Mistystar say?

"Twolegs are unpredictable. Who knows what they'll do? Do you _want_ to get them to bring the monsters to the lake? Or perhaps poison our prey?" His leader was right, but Minnownose wasn't about to show it. "What did you want me to do, get turned into a kittypet?"

"No. Struggle, but next time keep your claws sheathed."

"Well, if you insist."

"You will be spending half a moon clearing the elders' ticks for that fuss."

Minnownose's shoulders drooped.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens." Mistystar murmured, half to herself.

The next morning dawned, and there was no sign of twolegs.

Minnownose lifted his whiskers in triumph. Ha! Those mangy twolegs wouldn't dare come near him.

Meanwhile, a few Twolegs were headed towards the camp.

They yowled something, and Minnownose felt guilt like a big rock in the river weighing down on him.

It was pandemonium.

Cats fought with Twolegs, and Mistystar…

Minnownose watched his leader fall down from a Twoleg's grasp, hitting a stone with a sickening crunch.

She got up. The twoleg shook his head and fired a twoleg object at her in burst, before looking at her.

She lay unmoving. _Please let her be alive. Please…_

She did not stir.

Willowshine checked her breathing quietly and pushed her nose into her leader's fur, barely noticing the twoleg shoving her into a cage.

A twoleg gave a shout as Minnownose ran to free her, trying to put him into the cage. The twoleg threw something on the ground, and Minnownose drifted.

He saw his sister, Almondkit, who only their family knew had existed.

"Hi, Minnownose!" she squeaked.

"StarClan? There must be some mistake, I led the Twolegs here!"

"It was an accident."

Minnownose closed his eyes, still with his tail drooping, and followed his sister.

In ShadowClan, Rowanstar was unmoving, floating in the lake. He'd put up a noble fight, Tawnypelt thought miserably. What she wouldn't give to sink her claws into whatever caused this! Tigerheart told her to ask for help from ThunderClan- the bleeding-hearts. But she held a fondness for them, being raised in their Clan. She ran, panting, into the camp.

"We need your…oh."  
She saw a lump of brown fur, mingled with orange. The fur of her brother and his mate.

"Bramblestar! NO!"

Some warriors looked up.

The Twolegs threw a metal object on the ground, covering their hairless faces.

Tawnypelt felt the strangest desire to sleep.

And so, she did, nose pressed into her brother's fur.

She was greeted by two starry cats.

"Rowanstar! Bramblestar!

"Nine lives. I still can't believe it…"

He pressed his nose to Tawnypelt's.

"It's happening everywhere. Cats' lives, just… gone. The only comfort is some cats are being taken as kittypets. The elders and kits managed to escape, and I think I saw a few warriors fleeing, too."

"At least the kits are safe."

SkyClan were sorely regretting not going to the gorge, while WindClan's running didn't help them much in the end.

StarClan huddled around the moonpool. "Look!" a cat yowled. StarClan looked, and saw a small camp being set up on the island, with the elders and kits, and precious few warriors. And a small murmur of happiness and hope went around the island.

 **IT'S UP! I'm finally done with my other story, so have the first chapter of this! Hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

Fading Stars – Collared

Sparkpelt paced around her tiny twoleg prison again.

"Please be quiet, Sparkpelt! Some of us are trying to get to sleep!"

"Sorry, Blossomfall!" she yowled back, eliciting some angry grumbling from the older warrior. Beside her, a brown RiverClan warrior glared at her and she curled into a ball, like the others, and tried to sleep.

It didn't come.

As the rays of the sun shone in through the holes the Twolegs had thought it to be a good idea to have in their den, Sparkpelt, wilting with exhaustion and the fact that this was real, slumped onto the soft rock that the Twolegs had provided. She tried to close her eyes, but then a terrible yowling broke out, and she looked up to see a green-uniformed Twoleg with a family of other Twolegs – two mates and a kit. The kit bounced around the den, occasionally stopping and yowling wildly at the cat trapped inside a prison. Sparkpelt curled her tail over her ears and sat there, intent on hissing to scare it away should it come near. It didn't, though, and after a while it had stopped its bouncing and kept yowling at the female Twoleg while jabbing a meaty claw at Blossomfall.

Blossomfall was pressed up at the back of the prison. She didn't want to hurt this kit, but the kit seemed to be ordering a death sentence.

The uniformed Twoleg put on a thick pair of pelts and reached inside. She tried to claw at the Twoleg through the gloves but couldn't touch the Twoleg. She was put in a smaller prison and handed to the Twoleg family.

The noise was deafening. Yowling was coming from every side as the others asked where they were taking her, screaming out for the Twolegs to put her down, reaching claws through their bars to try and escape, encouraging her to fight. And then she was moved through an opening slab of a Twoleg material, and for the first time in a quarter-moon, it was silent.

And then the little Twoleg started to yowl some more as she was put inside a monster.

Sparkpelt flopped onto the floor of the prison once more, defeated.

And then, a few sunrises later, the same Twoleg came in again, with another group of Twolegs, this time with two kits. The older one was padding around, although she had a similar expression to the Twoleg kit that had took Blossomfall. The younger one was sprinting around the place, yowling at any and every cat in his path.

The older twolegs came to Sparkpelt.

She started to hiss at them. How dare they take her then force her to be spectated by a mass of Twolegs as if she was a piece of prey?

The Twolegs took a step back, but the younger Twoleg bounded through. He was within clawing distance- but wasn't this what started this mess? She stepped into the depths of her cage, flopping down onto the soft rock.

Before she knew it, she was moving, and the yowling started anew. She tried to call back, to tell them that she'd try to get them out, but she was unheard in the din.

She found herself on another soft rock, staring blankly at a wall as she tried to process what had just happened.

 **Sorry for the delay! I had this chapter written up, but accidentally deleted it.**


	3. Chapter 3

Graystripe sighed as he fetched fresh moss. After they had run away, they found what was left of the other Clans on the Gathering island. They'd decided to make camp there, as it was easy to defend and had plenty of room. That it was neutral ground helped too, as no-one wanted to squabble about whether ThunderClan or ShadowClan had the best territory. Of course, building a camp required lots of work, and with the fifteen to twenty cats remaining having to do it quickly, every cat with their eyes open was required to pitch in, with kits gathering mosses and looking for warm places that could form dens, warriors weaving brambles, hunting and reinforcing camp, and elders doing some mix of the five. He brought his bundle into camp, placing it in the growing pile.

"I'm going out to hunt." He called. He got some dim murmurs of acknowledgement back, so he crossed the tree-bridge, desperate to keep himself busy. He padded deeper into the forest, a particularly juicy mouse catching his eye. Graystripe pounced, claws outstretched. As he stared at the felled mouse, a rush of memory caught him.

" _Well, I'm more lopsided than a badger!"_

 _He broke off from his careful stalking to lumber across the clearing, trying to lighten the mood._

" _I shall just have to settle for hunting stupid mice. I shall just have to sit on them until they surrender."_

He shook the lingering cobwebs of memory off, and trudged deeper into the forest after burying his catch. This time he'd look for a rabbit or a squirrel.

When Graystripe came back, the walls were half-finished. He brought his catch – not as impressive as in his warrior days, but still pretty good – into camp, before picking a plump wood mouse to share with his mate. He watched a litter of kits squabble over a pigeon, before their mother divided it into four and took her fill. A white queen – Tinycloud, was it? -was arranging some moss into a nest for her and the kits. Beside her, a sleek and a skinny warrior were both helping to patch a hole in the wall. Graystripe and Millie, mouse finished, trotted off to find some more moss. The pile was getting low, after all.

Blossomfall awoke to the darkness of the Twolegs' den. She gingerly ate some of the slop there, suppressing her horror at both the taste and the implications to the code.

Her paw contained a lump of a Twoleg thing, which she hated. She needed to get it out. Pushing open the flap in the Twoleg entryway, she made her way outside, where she unsheathed her claws and pushed them into her paw. Suppressing a hiss of pain, she buried the object into the ground and headed for a nearby cobweb, which she wrapped around her paw. She'd sleep in the bushes until it was healed.


	4. Chapter 4

Firestar watched his oldest friend in the forest as he tried to keep busy after finishing camp a few quarter-moons ago. Next to him, Briarlight and Bumblestripe peered intently into the star-flecked water, eyes fixed upon their father. Blossomfall was nowhere to be found. With a sigh, Firestar trotted off, intent on hunting, and Bumblestripe and Briarlight stared at the water again, but this time it focused on… their sister?

Blossomfall finished hunting a mouse, pleased to see that her skills hadn't been unhoned in the three moons since she'd been taken. She'd made a decision, and told the rest of the Clan cats too.

She was going to escape.

She'd been preparing for the time that she'd been there, hunting and talking and plotting the times and ways to do it. Now, she was ready. She swiftly traced her tongue around her jaws, swallowing the last morsels of her meal, then climbed onto a sturdy branch of a small tree, then across to the fence. Never before in her entire life had she been more thankful for the tree-training that Firestar started and Bramblestar continued. She leaped down from the large fencing unit, then bolted for the trees. Across from her, she could see the silhouettes of cats doing the same as her. "Hey." An orange outline crashed into her.

"Hi, Sparkpelt." She picked herself up, then kept running. But a light turned on in a Twoleg house, and the air was filled with yowlings as Twolegs chased after them.

"Split up!" pierced the air, and Sparkpelt and Blossomfall separated. Some Twolegs pulled out squares of a material known only to them, and tapped it. The area lit up, then they tapped another. All of the cats were being captured now, apart from her. A triad of twolegs sprinted towards her, until an orange shape crossed her path again. She had to run, go, but could she leave a Clanmate behind? Sparkpelt was picked up, and she had no choice but to run. "I'll come back for you!"

The first place that Blossomfall ran to was the ThunderClan camp. But the hollow held no sign of life, just the bitter but faint taste of a Twoleg poison. She felt her heart sink. _Alright. The gathering island, then the other Clan camps, then the Moonpool. Then I'll live as a loner._ With that said, she padded off to the gathering island.

The trees blurred to Graystripe's eyes as he sprinted through the forest to get to camp. He'd brought a large catch, and he wanted to show the kits the taste of pheasant – they'd been on a fish diet, and they were starting to complain. He got to the log and balanced across it, although the pheasant got a soaking after he dropped it. He'd have to dry out the feathers before using them in nesting.

Blossomfall came to her destination, which had a thick bramble screen woven around it and a feather floating in the water. She smiled. _Someone lives here!_ She wobbled across the tree-bridge, then came to a halt.

"Who goes there?"

"It's me, Blossomfall?"

"Blossomfall?

"Yes!"

"Weren't you taken?"

"We staged an escape tonight, but the Twolegs could find us so easily! They were able to capture the others. I don't know how, but maybe that piece of Twoleg material had something to do with it."

She was let into the thriving camp, where her father was plucking feathers off a wet pheasant. "We need it for bedding." He explained to clamouring kits that swarmed him. "Do you really want to eat feathers?"

They shook their heads and retreated a few paces, working on the pheasant with thorn-sharp claws. He looked up. "Blossomfall? Is that you?" He rushed forwards. "Millie! Blossomfall's here!" This prompted a rush of cats, all asking where she'd been, how she got here, where the others were. She answered them – she'd been taken by Twolegs, she escaped, the others didn't escape.

"Someone's returned! Our lost aren't dead!" The murmur spread.

The pheasant was devoured over celebrations tinged with regret that they couldn't save the others.


	5. Chapter 5

Fading Stars – Sparkpelt

She yowled. She clawed. She hissed. But it couldn't change the fact that she was stuck in the Twoleg den. Every sunrise, the male Twoleg would go out of the den, and would come back at sunset looking exhausted. She knew that something would happen when he didn't go out.

Yet, here he was. It was much past sunrise, and he was approaching her. He opened the material to grant her access, and she bolted again. _Ha. Beetle-brain._ However, no sooner had she gotten to the trees when she felt a sharp pain, forcing her backwards. She tried again. _Great StarClan, that hurts!_ Again. Surely it was a fluke? _Ahh!_ She slunk back to Twolegplace, head low. Across from her, she could see other cats doing the same.

A tortoiseshell head poked out from a bush, ears perking up when she saw her. She ran across the invisible divide – Sparkpelt yelled to stop – but nothing happened.

"Sparkpelt! Come on, run!"

"I can't!"

She paced forward, reaching the barrier, then stopped as the same shock ran through her.

"The Twolegs have made sure I can't get out!"

Blossomfall winced, running through the barrier to test if the same thing would happen to her. Nothing did, and she said so.

"How will I get out? What will Larksong think?" Sparkpelt wailed.

"Larksong… Larksong died, Sparkpelt."

Sparkpelt put her head on her paws and tried to forget that this was happening. Maybe if she wished hard enough, it would all be a dream and she'd wake up in the Warriors' den after eating a tough bit of fresh-kill.

Blossomfall tried to comfort her, but it was clear that she didn't know how to get her out of her predicament.

Sparkpelt lay alone on the soft rock. The Twolegs had carried her inside, yowling softly to her. Eyes swimming with grief and shock, she fell asleep.

A star-flecked meadow greeted her, and she stood to see two dark ginger figures materialise in front of her.

"Alderheart? Juniperkit?"

They greeted her with warm purrs and hellos, then sat down.

"We're delivering this message to every cat, and Juniperkit decided he wanted to come along."

Sparkpelt's ears perked up.

"StarClan is still watching, but our power has gone down. We can't appear or influence the weather just yet. Only when StarClan's essence deems it right can a cat travel down. But we're here, looking over you."

"Even though I'm a …" She couldn't bring herself to say it. "Kittypet?"

"A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet. You are rejecting that life with all of your power. It is not breaking the Code to be trapped into that life."

"What a change this makes – I was usually the one to console you!" She paused. "How's Larksong?"

Alderheart shifted on his feet. "Well, he's doing fine…"

Juniperkit blurted out "I saw him headbutting and wrestling with another cat! Mommy and Daddy do that sometimes. Dandelionkit calls it gross."

Sparkpelt's heart dropped into her stomach as the dream faded.

As she lay on the soft rock again, she whispered, "Did he care about me at all?"

 **Welcome to the 'Torture Sparkpelt' chapter! The Erins said in a chat that Sparkpelt's mate would leave her for another she-cat, so I included that.**


	6. Chapter 6

Claw stretched, looking around the den filled with his siblings. His mother lay beside him, grumbling to herself. He pricked his ears, listening in.

"Mangy forest cats, stealing the prey that we need–" She broke off at seeing Claw listening in, turning to the whole litter.

"Now, kittens, shall I tell you a story?"

They all gathered around her.

"Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, when I was a young cat, we had our own little territory. Others knew to stay away from that place, and we never went hungry, even in the harshest of leaf-bares. But then, they arrived. A large group of cats came and pushed us to the side, like we were broken, a thing to be discarded. They made sure that we, who they called 'rogues', were outcasts. Gone were the days of easy prey, of free space to live and grow. They _forced_ some of us to be _kittypets!_ " His mother's voice rose into a screech, but then settled down.

"They claimed to be honourable, but eventually, or so I am told, these cats got comeuppance from the spirits of cats who were forced out of their lands or their territories because of them. However, they weren't punished enough. They recovered. They moved on. But nature didn't let them get away with it. They were all stupid, and one day, one of the most stupid of them all attacked a Twoleg kit, and the 'Clans', as they called themselves, were vanquished for good. This time they were forced out. But then, something even worse had happened."

"Tell us, mama!"

"Us normal cats had forgotten what it was like to be strong. Most reveled in the power. They will go out and run rampant. They will cheat and lie and steal. This never would've happened in the old days. Now we are the last good cats, here in this woodland. This is happening to us now, and this forest needs a guardian to protect the cats here. These cats do not know how to be good. You are better than them, and they are not real cats anymore. Remember that, kittens, when you go into the world to enact justice."

"Okay, mama." They chorused.

She nodded at them, then swept the three of them up.

"And remember, any cat can be better. You just need to guide them to that point."

"I'm going to hunt. You stay here, okay?" she added, pausing for a second.

Then she was gone, with a retreating glance at her kits.

"I promise." Claw whispered to himself, once his siblings were swept away in a game of 'Punish the bad cats'.

 **Merry Christmas, have 5 chapters to read! *** **blows party horn***

 **Sorry for the procrastination on this work and I hope you've enjoyed this look into Claw. You'll be seeing more of this evil kitty, I promise.**


	7. Chapter 7

Faded Stars – Relenting

Sparkpelt, now dubbed 'Sparky' by the old kittypets, sighed as she curled up on the soft rock that the hare-brained Twolegs had thought was an acceptable substitute for a nest of moss and bracken. She idly stared outside of the window, which was now translucent with frost, so that all she saw was blurs of colour. She sighed. Even if she had been able to go outside, the lion's share of her Clanmates had gone off to the Cutter; they lived out their days bemoaning what had happened, moping around the gardens of the Twolegs, and trying to summon the energy to do anything substantial.

Sparkpelt decided to break herself out of her torpor and go outside. As she did, she was assaulted with an icy blast of frigid air, one that made her fluff her fur out. She wandered out to the middle of the frozen garden, watching birds mocking her inability to escape. Once again, more out of habit than hope, she clawed at the place where her weird Twoleg chip had gone in, to no avail. One of the Twolegs she was stuck with picked her up, putting her in a Twoleg prison – a _carrier_ , she'd heard the old kittypets call it – then loading her into a monster.

They drove for a while, finally stopping near a large Twoleg nest. The Twoleg carried her into the den, where an older Twoleg took her over. She was let out in a fenced -off area. A hard leaf full of hard Twoleg pellets – give her a mouse any day – and one full of bitter Twoleg water stood beside her, while a single other cat was in the area.

"Hello." He mewed.

"Hey."

"What's wrong? I've never seen a cat look so sad."

"I recently lost everything."

"Not everything, you have your housefolk."

"I didn't want to be a kittypet."

"Why not? You get food, shelter, warmth…"

"I was one of the wild cats around the lake." She told the other cat, who was licking his brown tabby fur.

"Really? That must have been so cool!"

"It was fulfilling. We lived with honour, followed a code, cared for young and old."

"So… did you eat bones?"

"No, but we did catch prey and eat them."

"Cool!" His eyes were shining. "I'm Buck, by the way."

Sparkpelt smiled; this cat somehow helped her to forget the fact that she was in Twolegplace. Even if it didn't last, there was something endearing about Buck, who was a veteran of Twolegplace, as he told her, and who thought her stories of being wild were really cool. They ended up talking nearly into the sunrise and curling up together on a soft rock.

For the first time, Sparkpelt didn't feel like she was drowning as she awoke the next day.

A couple of days later, the Twolegs took her back to their nest, where she looked out into the trees covered in small icicles, feeling a sense of peace creeping up on her.

There were friendly kittypets, and not all were naïve about life. Refreshed, she went deeper into Twolegplace (as the shock only came when leaving it) and trotted to a 'Park' she'd heard about.

It was a beautiful sight, seeing trees that weren't inaccessible to her, a small lake running through, and – she smelled- mice! The mouse smell came from behind a Twoleg nest, and there she saw it – three plump, juicy mice that had been sneaking food from the nest. She licked her lips, slowly creeping forwards, and… _Gotcha!_ She thought, taking the kill. She trotted back to the nest, the mice swinging in her jaws, as she made her way to the Clan cats that had been imprisoned. They exclaimed happily when they saw her quarry, and they settled down for a between-pellets snack. Sparkpelt's mouth sang with the forest tastes she so missed, as she shared tongues with the Clan cats and felt the leafbare sun on her back.

Things were looking up.


	8. Chapter 8

FS – Exchanges

 _A Moon Later_

Sparkpelt stretched, as she inspected her fattening belly. _I never thought that I'd become so soft,_ she thought as she padded to the door, trying to get some exercise so that she wouldn't look like a ginger badger.

Then she heard it.

 _The carrier._

She froze; what now? The Twolegs were calling to her, offering her all manner of things. She backed away to the flap that let her out, when the male Twoleg lost patience and put her in. After another harrowing monster ride, they approached the Cutter. Sparkpelt tensed even more, if that was possible. They waited until she was taken out, the cutter examining her fattening belly, prodding at it while making strange sounds. He rubbed on a gel that felt like ice, then took out a shiny stick. After waving it around her, something appeared next to her. Sparkpelt craned her head to look, eyes widening as she took in the sight of four tiny kits. Why was the cutter showing them this? The Twolegs yowled a bit, put her in the carrier again, exchanged some weird leaves and seeds with another Twoleg and then they were back.

Was she _pregnant - was the Twoleg object right?_ She didn't know. She would keep a close eye in herself, in the meantime.

"If you are my kits," she told herself. "I will protect you with my life." She then settled into a dream of her, playing with four tiny shapes.

The next morning dawned, flakes of snow drifting down to touch her nose. She shivered unconsciously. Leafbare had gone on _forever_ – the group that'd managed to escape told her that fact, and the unnerving news that a rogue had started to try and pick off other cats.

A yowling came towards her,

"Sparkpelt – oh, Sparkpelt! It's horrible! In the last quarter-moon, we were only able to find two thin mice! The Twolegs must have scared so many off this season, not to mention the other rogues keep us confined to the former WindClan territory!"

She hung her head. "So much loss…" she murmured.

"We've given both to the queens who are nursing the kits. They say… they say that some kits won't make it."

Sparkpelt stiffened, then relaxed as an idea came to her. "Wait in the undergrowth. I'll be right back."

She pushed herself the most that she felt comfortable with – the possibility of kits injecting caution into every step. She raced into the park, each breath making her puff and pant like she was a thousand moons old. Coming to a screeching halt, she carefully stalked towards the den of mice near a large Twoleg nest, one with scents of Twoleg food coming from it. Stalking towards the hole, she swiped claws into it, hearing a squeak as a panicked family of mice rushed out. She took great pride in killing every one of them cleanly, then carefully lifting the six plump specimens by their tails and hurrying back.

When she returned, Blossomfall was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, before spying a pair of warm amber eyes watching from a bush. Upon spying her, her friend sprinted out of the bush.

"You need these mice much more than I do," Sparkpelt told Blossomfall. "Take them. I'll see if any gardens contain more for you tomorrow."

Blossomfall stammered her thanks, grasping the prey like it was sent from StarClan.

"May StarClan light your path." Both of them told each other, laughing as they said their goodbyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Fading Stars – StarClan's Failure

Upon a hill, where there was no sign of there ever having been any frost, Bramblestar flicked his tail into the pleasantly-warm water, sighing. StarClan had tried and failed to figure out the prophecy, asking a multitude of different kittypets, who _could_ leave Twolegplace, to help the Clans.

Nine times out of ten, the answer was a resounding _no._ The kittypets were reluctant to leave their adoring Twolegs, their many friends, and their guaranteed safety to go to a few lumps of rock on the word of a cat that wasn't real. All of StarClan could understand it.

However, it was the tenth cats that gave them all hope. They never lasted more than a sunrise, of course, but they tried, and didn't think them crazy.

Bramblestar went back to swirling his tail around, joined by a familiar ginger shape.

"Squirrelflight!" He exclaimed, startled.

"After all these moons, you still have the vision of a mouse." She teased.

"I was distracted!" Bramblestar blustered.

"Like you were distracted when I managed to startle you when you were looking directly at me?"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault that you blended in so well to that Twoleg fence."

They both laughed. Bramblestar saw his opportunity.

"Well, how about the number of times that I managed to sneak up on _you?_ " He queried.

"Fair point." He pressed himself closer to her, both of their tails soaking in the small pond.

"Any luck on finding the prophecy-cat?" she queried.

"No, but Mistystar told me that she had found a tenth-cat."

"Ah?"

"Name is Smoky, he seems pretty tough."

"I bet you the next rabbit I catch that he chickens out within a sunrise." Squirrelflight told him.

"You're on."

"How's Sparkpelt?"

"We think that she knows that she's pregnant. She's still mourning the loss of her old life – _and us –_ but she's moving on."

"That's good." Squirrelflight told him, standing up from the bank to let Alderheart, who had just joined them with his siblings, through.

Dragonflies buzzed across the still water, until Juniperkit launched his dark tabby body into the water, splashing around. The dragonflies flew away, startled, taking off into the cloudless sky. Dandelionkit soon joined, and Alderheart knocked his father in, laughing as he did so. Bramblestar gave him a mock-annoyed look, and Alderheart's face fell as he started to back off. With a cry, Bramblestar grabbed him, knocking him into the shallow water as well. The kits had all gotten swimming lessons from Riverstar, who he had learned had a fondness for teaching kits. Squirrelflight shook her head at the four, fur dripping with water and eyes full of mirth.

"What am I going to do with you all?" As soon as she'd made that statement, she dove into the water, yelling as she did. She splashed down, soaking the four again as they waded (or swam) in the water that came up to Squirrelflight's chest, and Bramblestar twined his tail with hers.

If they were going to fade from existence, Bramblestar wanted to make as many good memories as he could with his family – he'd been busy with his Clan in life, and he wanted to make up for that now.


	10. Chapter 10

Fading Stars – The Rogues

It had started off small, of course. Claw's mother had helped him plan it. Through coercion and force alike, Claw and his family had managed to gather a strike force large enough to deter the mangy remnants of the Clan cats from coming onto what was _their_ land. They were nice, of course. After all, it wasn't like the prey-poor moor was needed for their conquest as of yet. Eventually he would drive them off of his rightful territory, and the order that the detached cats had would be restored.

Claw stretched, purring as Vine brought a mouse over. The dark ginger she-cat had been in much the same predicament, and he was happy to lead with her. After all, he was only nine moons old, whereas she was 36 – however, she had before lacked the means to act on the need to contain the blight of the Clan cats, so she was happy to take deputyship.

The other five Inner recruits – the ones who did what they did with him out of altruism for the forest – stretched by their fresh-kill pile. The idea of living together was the one good idea that the Clan cats had, if only so that forces could be concentrated. A group of ten more hung back, shooting furtive glances at them. They still needed to be convinced, but force was good enough for now.

After all, the ends justified the means.

He strolled over to the group, claws unsheathed so they glinted in the late-leafbare sun. "Now, I hope you aren't gossiping about me." He told them, smiling cruelly.

"N-no, Claw, nothing of the s-sort."

"Lies! I know you were. But I'll be lenient on you. If you show me that you are good enough to stay in our group by bringing a catch that _isn't_ pitiful, I'll let this go."

"Y-yes, Claw." The group stammered, racing for the tunnel.

Claw smiled as he decided to rough up the Clan cats – they needed to constantly be reminded who now ruled this area, and why he would be feared.

Vine padded by his side, her russet pelt and amber eyes contrasting with his spotted and green ones.

They approached a skeletal cat who had just pounced on a rabbit in Windclan territory, eyes gleaming. Vine snatched the corpse from under his nose.

"That rabbit is too good for scum like you." She hissed.

The emaciated cat sprung for her, as Vine clawed him in the belly. Claw came to help, sending the coward away, hissing.

"Nice." He complimented her, his pelt quivering with joy at the blood that he had tasted. The Clan cats had gained a taster of their punishment, and with the righteous cats like Vine by his side, he would drive them out.


	11. Chapter 11

Fading Stars – A Desperate Hope

It had been nearly two moons since Sparkpelt had found out about her kits, and after her regular deliveries of what prey she could catch, the Clans agreed to send their last remaining medicine cat to check her out. Willowbreeze had worked efficiently, confirming the presence of tiny lives inside of her.

The truth was that Sparkpelt was worried.

She had heard the numerous stories of kittens being taken away by Twolegs, some turning up in nests near to their parents, some seemingly disappearing. And now, as she lay on the soft rock that now had her scent imbued into it, she formulated a plan. Her rotund belly, with kits squirming inside, seemed heavier, like they knew their fates.

Sparkpelt was not going to let that happen.

She got up from her place, going out of the flap that the Twolegs had had the foresight to place in their entrance, and scaled the fence with some difficulty. Walking briskly, as if she had every right to be there, she trotted to the park.

Spotting the gnarled bush was easy enough once she got there. It lay near the pond, far away from the strange Twoleg nest. Sparkpelt crawled under the bush and started to dig out a large indent. She avoided the bush's twisting roots, eventually managing to make a large dip in the bush.

 _What else was in the nursery?_ She asked herself, trying to think back to her hazy memories of kithood, when it had all been just that bit easier. She thought of how unguarded this spot seemed, so she headed outside.

That was how she found herself clawing lengths of bramble from another bush, weaving them into the gnarled one. As a kit, she'd watched, fascinated, when a warrior came to repair the nursery after bad weather had struck.

That task done, with a pricked paw to show for it, Sparkpelt rushed to the nearest tree to collect some moss.

The moss she had collected was wet, but Sparkpelt knew that it would dry in the time that she was gone. She stuffed it into the dip, looking at the cosy scene awaiting her.

Emergency den complete, she trudged back to the Twolegs, confident in her plan.

It was only a quarter moon later that she needed it.

As she watched the sunhigh sky, Sparkpelt felt a small pain. _It was probably nothing,_ she tried to tell herself, all the while moving to the park. She needed to see if there were any damages to her den, after all.

By the second contraction, just when she had reached the park, Sparkpelt knew that the time had come.

Taking some moss from a tree and trying to focus on her task, she dipped it in the pond, carrying it to her den. She found a mouse sniffing at seeds and slammed into it, then retreated with her kill and her moss.

Inside the cosy den, Sparkpelt felt a pang of familiarity as she gazed upon it. As her world narrowed and shrank to the small area of her and her nutrition, she groaned.

It seemed like it had been a moon before the first kit slid out, and as she looked at her son she noticed his dark ginger pelt, smiling sadly at the reminder of her brother. Another tom, this time a dark tabby, soon followed, mewling, as she bent to lick it. A she-cat soon followed, with a white underbelly and a sparrow-brown top. And finally, her youngest, a pure ginger she-cat.

She purred as she looked at them all, before realising that she was both parched and starving.

She drank thirstily, before eating the mouse with all of the poise and elegance of a ravenous fox. When only bones remained, she turned back to her young.

The dark tabby and dark ginger cats had to be Bramblekit and Alderkit. Of that she was certain. However, she didn't want to name the she-cats after anyone – she wanted to choose new names for them.

She remembered some of Purdy's stories, involving a version of Mothermouth – the Clans' old liaison point with StarClan, and orangey stuff called copper that shone dully.

"You will be Copperkit." She rested her muzzle lightly on the dark ginger kit, who squeaked in response.

She turned to the tabby-and-white kit, noting her lithe build and her colouring.

"You will be Sparrowkit." She intoned, before settling down to sleep, kits pressing against her.


	12. Chapter 12

_A Half-Moon Later_

Sparkpelt shivered as the blustery wind ate at her fur.

"Don't worry, my babies, I'll be back soon." She told them, walking towards the many nests of creatures that were tasty.

She spied a plump pigeon, obviously fed by the older Twolegs, and focused in on it, creeping closer as it pecked at the hard ground for the hint of another treat. Sparkpelt was in pouncing range now. With a rustle of leaves, she leaped onto the pigeon, attacking its neck. Her mouth watered as she took the pigeon back to her hidey-hole.

The four kits mewled and squirmed as they fought to get closer to Sparkpelt, while she devoured her meal. Soon, there were new feathers in their nest and no pigeon in sight. Stretching, Sparkpelt looked outside, only to see the hairless face of a Twoleg as it yowled to another, before trying to scoop her up with a meaty paw.

Sparkpelt ran. She put Copperkit and Alderkit on her back, taking Bramblekit and Sparrowkit in her mouth. Crashing through the back of the bush – she dimly registered pain – she wheeled around to run. The alleys of Twolegplace narrowed and lengthened before her eyes as she ran randomly to escape the Twolegs. Copperkit and Alderkit bounced on her back as she sprinted towards a thorny bush again. Once she was through, she let out her breath, taking in the fenced-in area of a garden.

A familiar Twoleg came out, plucking her kits away from her as if they were mice.

"No! Don't take them!" she yowled, the Twoleg looking at her in pity before another one took her into the nest, depositing her on her soft rock, with the kittens next to her.

Looking at her kits in mingled relief and horror – there _were_ the constant incidences where a queen had her kits taken away at two moons – she started to lap at their fur, when she paused to look at Bramblekit, seeing two fully open eyes staring at her. They were blue, of course, as all kits' eyes were. "Welcome, little one." She told him, as he continued to stare at her in owlish wonder, before spinning around to take in all of his strange new world. Copperkit's eyes had opened too, and as the sun began to set and the two kits who had opened their eyes were play-wrestling, Alderkit opened his, immediately racing off to ask his siblings if he could play. Sparkpelt lapped at Sparrowkit again, trying to get some dust off, when she blinked at her, and Sparkpelt curled her tail around her as Sparrowkit struggled to get up and join her littermates.

Falling on her face, she tried again, and soon was wrestling, albeit without the strength of her littermates. Sparkpelt watched the smallest of her litter, who had tired easily. The rest of the litter came too, and Sparkpelt huddled with them again.


	13. Chapter 13

Sparkpelt had by now settled into a routine – feed kits, get her first meal, take kits outside into the garden, feed kits, talk with friends from both the Twolegplace and occasionally outside, feed kits, get her second meal, let kits play inside the nest, tell kits stories of Clan life, sleep.

She woke up, noting the new buds forming outside of the Twolegs' weird ice, and watched as her kits stretched and showed their changing eyes. Sparrowkit and Alderkit both seemed to be developing the characteristic eyes of her brother and father, however Copperkit and Bramblekit both seemed to be developing the vivid green eyes that her grandfather was so famous for.

"Good sunrise." She greeted the kits, who immediately pounced on her, yelling and making a ruckus. Sparrowkit hung back, looking at the trio with owlish eyes before lying down again. The other trio finally stopped, demanding milk.

"Alright, alright!" She told them. "Settle down!"

Choruses of "Fiine…" and "Okaay…" came from her kits as they lay down beside her, and Sparrowkit tottered over.

The four had begged to hear about StarClan again, and she would do so tonight. Last moonrise, she'd told them stories of the clans, stories of her friends and the legends of the Clan.

She led the quartet out into the garden, where Sparrowkit immediately went to a shady corner to watch the other three wrestle. Occasionally, a playfight would turn into a squabble, and Sparkpelt had to pad over to tell the kits off. She idly noticed the Twolegs come out, bare their teeth and head back in. Soon the Twolegs came back with a basket of small pellets, which they put in holes in the ground.

"I wanna help!" Alderkit squealed, Bramblekit and Copperkit hot on his heels. The three scraped out holes as large as they could with their tiny claws, to which the Twolegs made a strange sound at the same time as Sparkpelt _mrrow_ ed in laughter. The kits came back as they noticed the Twolegs putting pellets in their holes. They frolicked around her as she started to bask in the newly-returning sun.

For once, Sparkpelt didn't resent her life in Twolegplace.

-Sparrowkit-

Sparrowkit staggered after her mother as she settled down to tell them about StarClan again. It sounded nice – a place where there was no hunger and it was always Greenleaf. She hoped that it made cats feel strong, too –Mama had said that, and Sparrowkit hoped that one day she could experience the foreign feeling of being _strong._ To be able to run with her siblings without getting tired, to not be afraid of what would happen if she told her mother about the fact that she always felt tired (though she was sure that there wouldn't be punishment), to be able to stay awake and listen to the full stories that her mother told them. She blinked rapidly, staying awake with a valiant effort as her mother began.

"StarClan is a lovely place of everlasting forests and meadows. You feel no pain, and any injuries or scars that you dislike will be gone. Your friends, family and warrior ancestors await you up there, each having looked down on you. StarClan has a Council to judge you in the stars, so there are no wicked cats there. There is always endless prey, and a cat never goes hungry, even the smallest kit. There, cats from all four clans meet…happy…stars in fur…" Sparrowkit snuggled down, suddenly feeling more tired than in her entire life.

"…a place where cats are strong and never suffer… a place of love…"

The rest was lost to Sparrowkit as her world faded to darkness. She tried to listen to her mother, but nothing else was there.

-Squirrelflight –

Squirrelflight materialised in the depths of a Twoleg nest, watching as the pale moonlight brushed her daughter's fur as she broke off rapidly, seeing all of her kits asleep. An ethereal form rose out of Sparrowkit's body as she blinked first at her mother, then squeaked in surprise as she looked at Squirrelflight.

"Wh-who are you?" she asked.

"I am Squirrelflight, your mother's mother."

"Mama told me about you!"

Restraining her sadness, she swept the kit, tinier still in death, into her, shielding her with her tail as Sparkpelt touched her nose to each kit, pausing once she got to Sparrowkit.

"Sparrowkit? Sparrowkit? Come on, wake up, please, Sparrowkit…"

Sparrowkit looked up at her name, rushing over to her mother.

"I'm here, Mama! I'm awake! Mom!"

Sparkpelt tilted her head back, giving a wail. The other three kits fidgeted at the sound, Alderkit opening his eyes, startled. He watched her as she lay his sister on the soft rock, but only Squirrelflight could see her granddaughter coming up to her still trying to attract her attention and pleading with her to notice her, that she was here, after all.

Squirrelflight scooped her up by the scruff of her neck.

"They can't see us, otherwise she would've heard."

"It's not fair! I want my mama!"

"I know it's not fair, kitten. But we'll go to StarClan, and you'll see your brothers and sister and mother from there."

Sparrowkit cuddled into her mother again, who had started to sit vigil over her. Squirrelflight watched her sadly, before turning to her daughter's grieving form.

"I promise you that I will protect her." She vowed, before beckoning Sparrowkit to her side.

"Come on, Sparrowkit. We have to go."

Tail drooping, Sparrowkit followed her to the sky path that led them to StarClan.


	14. Chapter 14

Fading Stars – Ceasing to Exist

Squirrelflight arrived in StarClan with her charge, who immediately looked around in wonderment.

 _Of course,_ Squirrelflight thought, _the trees are fifty times bigger than her._ She scooped the kit up, taking her to where Bramblestar had just caught a plump rabbit.

"I got you that rabbit I owed you."

"Thanks!" she purred, beckoning Sparrowkit forward. "Sparrowkit, this is Bramblestar, your grandfather."

"Wow!" Her eyes were round as she rushed up to the starry tabby.

"Sparkpelt lost her?" Bramblestar asked her.

"Yes, she did. But she's a strong cat, she'll be okay eventually."

Brambleclaw turned to the rapidly-tiring kitten. "Come on, you've had a busy day. Come get some sleep."

The tired kit dipped her head as Bramblestar carried her to the hollow tree where Juniperkit and Dandelionkit were dozing. Once there, she snuggled into the other kits, purring as she did.

He padded over to Squirrelflight, who was happily devouring the fruits of their bet.

"Come on, there's enough to share." She told him. "Besides, it was a sucker bet, anyway."

The carcass of the rabbit was finished and faded away just as a cry went up from the thickets. It startled the three kits out of their nap, although Dandelionkit and Juniperkit didn't need one. There were mewls of protest as Bramblestar and Squirrelflight raced over to the source of the sound. There, yelling, was Snowfur. Bluestar was frenetically trying to save her, yelling to help her, to save her, to do _anything._ Squirrelflight stood in shock. There had been a few Fadings over the past few moons, but most cats needed to put it out of their minds for their own sanity. But this – this couldn't be repressed. Before her, Snowfur was gradually sinking into the grass, tail disappearing. She gazed up at her sister, who had regret shining in her eyes, as she faded out of existence.

Bluestar, the calm, collected leader, sunk to the grass and started wailing as Oakheart, nearly transparent himself, pressed himself against her. Squirrelflight swallowed back her shock and fear as she turned to the kits. Sparrowkit in particular was shaking, eyes wide with horror at what she'd just seen. Squirrelflight wrapped her tail around her frail torso, shielding the kit from the cats screeching in horror, the cats running, the cats cowering.

The other two kits regarded the scene with sadness, but not shock.

They had seen it many times before.

In a plain above StarClan, where the ground was solid rock, Snowfur awoke. The last thing she remembered was her sister – Fox dung! She'd faded! She looked at her paw, now transparent. Her markings glowed as she looked again at what once had been her eyes. They were a solid green now, and she noted the changes emotionlessly, as if she were merely assessing how she looked before a Gathering. It was the only way that she could keep busy in this empty void with only rocks and a large pond. A voice startled her out of her reverie.

"Welcome, Snowfur. Are you ready to be Judged?"

Judged? Snowfur couldn't comprehend what that meant. Wasn't she Judged on entry to StarClan?

"Y-yes. I am ready." She held her head up high.

She looked up at the cat, a pure white spirit with no markings. Behind them, four more cats, of the same appearance, appeared.

"You started out as a kitten in ThunderClan, and have led a life of a typical warrior. You took Thistleclaw on as a mate, failing to see his darker side. You have a son, Whitestorm, who has grown, partially because of you, to be a strong and righteous warrior. You were killed after defending your clan from a ShadowClan crossing on the Thunderpath by a monster. You have since led the life of a typical StarClan warrior, caring for young and old. Does that sound right?"

Snowfur swallowed. "Mostly, but I have had little influence on my son. He was barely a kit when I died."

The lead spirit made to speak, but another spirit stepped up.

"And how is that your fault? Bluestar did what she did out of love to you, and later your son. While you may have had your faults, you are still a good cat who followed the warrior code."

Snowfur began to feel a bit better, standing up straighter.

"I recommend Reincarnation, to go into a Clan eventually. You shall be a kitten to a rogue named Ash, later Ashpelt. Your name shall later be Wolfkit." Murmurs of agreement came from the lead cat and the other three.

Snowfur beamed. "Thank you. I won't let you down."

The pool that she had seen her reflection in glowed brightly, and Snowfur was instructed to put her paws in.

When she did, the warm water was deeper than expected, pulling her into darkness as Snowfur knew no more.


	15. Chapter 15

Sparkpelt numbly watched as the sun rose, dreading the rest of her litter waking to discover their sister dead. She gently picked up the tiny body, laying it in the shaded area of the garden where Sparrowkit had loved to explore. A voice interrupted her as she marked where the grave was to go.

"Mama, why's Sparrowkit still asleep?"

Tears sprang to her eyes as she addressed Alderkit. "She's – she's with StarClan now."

Alderkit nodded, then stiffened.

"Isn't StarClan where spirits go?"

"It is. She didn't wake up last night." Now she was full – on sobbing. Through her blurring eyes she could see the forms of Bramblekit and Copperkit, who both were looking on in horror.

The kits stood, until Bramblekit wailed, his two littermates joining him. She nuzzled them briefly before going to dig Sparrowkit's grave.

She was halfway done before the female Twoleg noticed her. She gave out a yowl of horror as she stared at the body, disappearing into the nest and returning with a shiny object. With the Twoleg's help, the grave was dug, and Sparkpelt lowered her kit into it. The Twoleg covered up the grave, adding a flat pebble, which she marked with a stick that produced what seemed like a liquid form of the burns seen on lightning-struck trees. The two stood back before Sparkpelt grabbed a young flower, uprooting it and placing it where Sparrowkit lay, roots in the earth. She then went over to her living kits, watching the Twoleg, who oddly seemed as sad as she was. Sparkpelt stood in morbid wonder before moving the kits back inside. She dipped her head to the Twoleg when she went, before watching over her kits.

There was no play from the usually – rambunctious kits today; although their sister rarely joined in, she was still _their_ sister.

Two days after she buried Sparrowkit, Sparkpelt risked peeking over the fence, to see Blossomfall again.

Blossomfall, after a furtive glance to make sure that there were no Twolegs around, bounded up to her.

"Hi, Sparkpelt!"

"Hey, Blossomfall." She was dimly shocked at how worn her voice sounded as she greeted the older warrior. Being the liaison between the two worlds had definitely strengthened their bond, so Blossomfall noted it too.

"What happened? Hopefully my news can cheer you up."

"Sparrowkit died." Her voice sounded raw, most likely from sitting in silence with her remaining three.

Blossomfall seemed to deflate, eyes downcast. "So young…" she intoned, looking both at the younger warrior and the kits down on the rise before the lake. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Go on, then. What's your news?"

"I'm pregnant."

Sparkpelt felt a flash of bitterness. How could she gain when she'd just lost a kit? She suppressed it ruthlessly – her friend hadn't known before now, couldn't control her pregnancy.

"That's great! More healthy warriors for the Clans, I'm sure."

Her friend let out a small purr, looking down at the kits gathered.

"Maybe they can play together once they're older."

"Perhaps." Sparkpelt told her friend. A yowl come from a nest.

"I have to go."

"Bye, Blossomfall." She picked up her kits – two on her back, one in her mouth – and set off for her nest.


	16. Chapter 16

Since the day that Sparrowkit had died, her littermates had gone from strength to strength, playing with the objects that the Twoleg had provided. They'd been weaned (although Sparkpelt wished fervently that it had been onto prey and not Twoleg muck) and she could now enjoy some peace when she needed it. Her litter had been playing with Blossomfall, but in the last half-moon she had become too heavily pregnant to make the trip. She watched as they batted a poor replication of a mouse about, mewing with delight.

The Twoleg entry opened, and a few unfamiliar Twolegs entered, letting out yowls at the sight of the kits. Quickly, she had moved the toy away and curled herself around her protesting kits. The Twoleg who owned the nest picked her up, allowing the unfamiliar guests to see her kits. She hissed in fury – no one would touch her kits! – but then she was placed in a cage, the same one she'd been brought here in. She writhed around, desperate to get out. The kits' playful mews became mixed with Twoleg yowling.

Then her kits' mews turned to yowls of horror. She rammed herself against the cage, again, again and again, but it held firm. Her blood felt like snow in leaf-bare as she made several desperate escape attempts. The rapidly diminishing cries were fading now, but before the Twolegs' entryway shut again she heard the final, piercing cry – "Let me be with Mama!"

The cage was unlocked, and she pelted away, trying to scent her kits in the suddenly-cold nest. The Twolegs offered her water; she did not drink. The Twolegs offered her food; she did not eat. She remained scenting for the kits, for the way to get out. There was nothing.

Blossomfall lay on a bed of mosses, pushing. Her mate hovered anxiously beside her. She looked into his gray face and smiled. "It'll be okay." She told him as a contraction ripped through her. She dimly heard Willowshine congratulating her on a healthy young she-cat. Instinctively, she pulled the tiny gray scrap closer, giving her a good lick as the kitten began to suckle.

"No more kits coming. Congratulations on your daughter!" Jayclaw licked her ear affectionately, gazing down at their precious kitten.

"What shall we call her?"

"How about Mistkit, for the river? Her fur's a gray too."

"Perfect." And so they lay, a small family at last. Graystripe and Millie, anxiously pacing outside, were signalled to come in.

"She's beautiful, Blossomfall. What's her name?"

"She's Mistkit." Jayclaw answered, licking her cheek.

Both grandparents rushed to congratulate them on the name and the birth, and it was then that Blossomfall noticed the vole that they had brought. Murmuring a thanks, both Jayclaw and she attacked the vole. With Mistkit, things were looking up for the Clan.

Graystripe tucked his tail under his nose, drifting off to sleep. He expected to dream of his new grandkit, but instead, he found himself looking down at his sleeping form. The moon was higher in the sky than it had been when he'd retired for the day. He turned around in confusion, only to yowl in shock when he met the amused gaze of six starry figures. "Firestar! Silverstream! Feathertail! Bumblestripe! Briarlight! Sandstorm!" He hurried towards them, energy lighting his paws as he greeted his friends and family with purrs and nuzzles. Then there was weight as he realised what had happened. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Every cat must join StarClan's ranks eventually."

"I don't mind. I've lived a good life. It's just – couldn't I have spent more time with Mistkit?"

"StarClan do not control when cats die, otherwise no cat would die."

He nodded, following the crowd along a path of sky, looking back first at Millie, sleeping peacefully beside him, then Blossomfall, Jayclaw and Mistkit in the nursery.

"You can look over them."

He turned away, walking until he looked like a young warrior again and he gazed at a starry thicket. Smiling, he ran to greet his ancestors.


	17. Chapter 17

Fading Stars – Finding

When Millie woke up it was to coldness. It seemed to be lined in her very bones, tearing away at every rational thought. She looked for the comforting presence of her mate, only to see a cat who looked smaller than life, stiff and unseeing. She screamed in horror. Cats – Blossomfall among them, crowded into the elder's den.

"What happened, Millie?" She asked, just before catching sight of Graystripe.

"No…" Blossomfall picked him up, his body seeming somehow lighter than when he lived. She gently set him down in the gathering clearing, under the shade of the tree.

Blossomfall came out with her, something that Millie was both of them settling on the dry earth, grooming Graystripe's wiry fur even as their stilted breathing ruffled it. Mother and daughter lay together, each lost in their private web of memory. After a while, Blossomfall broke off to go to the nursery and to Mistkit, while Millie buried her nose in her mate's fur, an uneasy slumber overtaking her.

Graystripe waited for her on a hill, looking as young as the day she'd met him. She raced towards him as if she was being chased by a rabid dog, then halted as she crashed through Graystripe's form.

"Not yet."

"Graystripe, why did you bring me here?" She looked at the grassy fields, butterflies in arrays of blue chasing each other through the tall grasses.

"I wanted to say goodbye to you."

She sat next to him, trying to twine her tail with his as she had so many times in camp, but it was like twining her tail with air; there was simply nothing there.

"You're a great cat, Millie, and you're strong enough to do this alone. Don't regret my death too much – I'd lived a good, long life full of honour. I'll wait to greet you in StarClan and will watch over our family; just promise that you'll stay strong. The Clan needs you – who else would moan to them about bedding?"

She purred, cracking the first smile since that morning.

"I'll wait, Graystripe."

"I know you will." was the reply, until a pelt brushing against her jolted her away.

She realised it was darker than when she'd last remembered, seeing that cats were gathering for the vigil now. Mistkit's small form was tucked into her mother's belly, eyes and ears sealed shut. Blossomfall and Jayclaw lay side-by-side, to the point where Millie couldn't tell who was supporting who. Stars danced mockingly across the sky, tantalisingly out of reach. She shivered from an imagined chill as the moon ambled across the sky, at once agonisingly slow and exceedingly fast.

And then the dawn came, and it was time to bury him.

Sparkpelt was outside. She had finally managed to slip out of the Twoleg nest and was now following the wispy scent trails of her kits. Passing by Sparrowkit's grave, she leapt the fence, heading in pursuit of Bramblekit and Alderkit's fear-scents.

She ran past multiple Twoleg nests and the park before coming to a nest made of red stone. Her kits' scents pooled here; there was no doubt that this was where they were. She leapt up onto the garden wall, where Bramblekit and Alderkit were tumbling around in the grass. As she blocked the sun, they stared into the shadow she cast.

"Mama!"

She didn't reply – she was too busy hugging them and grooming them.

"We missed you!" Alderkit piped up.

"The Twolegs here have been kind, but they can't tell stories!"

"Yeah! And the food tastes different!"

She continued to hug them, mumbling about how she was so glad that they were safe. A Twoleg voice called from inside the nest.

"Sorry, Mama, but we have to go." Bramblekit told her.

"Why don't you come with me?"

"We can't – you said be nice, remember?" Alderkit joined in.

She sighed. "I'll visit when I can."

"Alright!"

She leapt off the fence, leaving her sons to scramble inside of the nest.

She retraced her steps, this time going around the row of nests that overlooked the lake until she wove back into an alleyway, passing a spiny bush.

The fence here was made of pine and the scent of lavender emanated from the house. Sparkpelt could make out an orange figure from the Twolegs' ice. The figure disappeared from the window, emerging from the side of the nest.

"Ma! You came!" Copperkit cried, bowling into her.

"Oh, my dear kit!" The two stayed entangled in the garden until a Twoleg appeared. The Twoleg yowled in shock, disentangling the pair and carrying Copperkit inside.

She waited until the moon rose, but she did not return to the ice. Dejected but hopeful, she padded back. Yes, she had been separated from her kits, but they were still alive.


	18. Chapter 18

Incomplete chapter

Copper was six moons old. It had been half a moon since she had seen her mother. Of course, Sparkpelt tried to visit but her own twolegs had started to keep a better eye on her, her freeroaming days becoming less as the Twolegs fussed over her. Eating the dry pellets provided for her as the sun got low, she dreamed of the rare moments when her mother had snuck a mouse into the garden for them to try, trying to pretend that the tasteless pebbles were as succulent as fresh-kill. She stretched, finally deciding to go and jump on the Twolegs' high nest, perching herself on the end of the bed and curling up to sleep.

She was in the forest beyond the fences. Her mother had often reminisced about this place, and so she felt as if every tree were known already. Chatterings and the scents of wild land permeated the air, tinting every moment with a feeling of comfort. She wandered around for a while before spotting a small squirrel dining on a beechnut. She leapt for it, the squirrel suddenly evaporating into mist before her eyes, replaced with the ginger tom that her mother had told her bits and pieces about.

"Firestar."

"I'm glad you recognised me, young one."

"So is this place... StarClan?"

"No, not quite. This is a dreamscape. It exists only for us two at the moment, but the real forest is exactly like this."

"Why have you brought me here? I'm just a housecat."

"You could choose to move away, to become a real Clan cat."

"I thought the Clans were dead. If they live, why haven't you taken back the housecats that have come from the forest?"

"They don't live – at least, not the Clans as they were known. But the Starpool told of a cat whose life was soft hardening and rebuilding the Clans."

"And you can just do that? Build up a Clan?"

"Sandstorm and I managed it for SkyClan. The Founders managed to build five. Besides, I have faith in you, and in kittypets as a whole. Despite some of the other cats' views, kittypets can become valued members and even leaders of Clans. I'm proof."

"So, what do I do?"

"Meet me at the edge of the woods tomorrow night."

"I will. I just need to say some goodbyes first."

Copper stretched as she awoke in the nest. Silently, she bade goodbye to the pair of twolegs that had tried to take care of her the best they could. She slipped out of the cat-flap and made her way to her mother's home in the rising sun.

Her mother was out, basking in the sun's warmth in the garden.

"Copper! What brings you here?"

"I'm going to rebuild the Clans."

With that, her mother shot up like a frightened mouse.

"You are? You got a message from StarClan?"

"Yes, I did. I'll miss you."

"I will too, but we can always visit. I can't go past the edge of Twolegplace but the border is perfectly safe."

Sparkpelt licked her on the head, before touching her tail to Copper's shoulder, a proud smile on her face as she headed to her brothers' house.

Bramble and Alder lived in a stately Twoleg nest with a family of six Twolegs. As they told it to her, there was always a constant ruckus within, however it was the kind of chaos that you grew attached to. The pair were currently in their favourite bush, hiding from the youngest Twoleg, who still hadn't grasped that yes, pulling their tails did hurt. A lot.

"Copper!" The pair called, as she dived into the dense bush.

"Hi, guys!"

"So why have you come to our sanctuary?" Bramble teased.

"I wanted to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? You aren't moving, are you?" Alder asked anxiously.

"No, not far enough away so that you can't see me. I've got a message from StarClan; I will rebuild the Clans."

The brothers smiled at this.

"Really? That sounds cool!" Bramble exclaimed as Alder added "It'd be pretty chaotic."

"Would you guys like to come?"

"Nah." Bramble replied. "The Twolegs'd be very sad. Especially the little one. She mopes about when we go away."

"Besides, I don't think I'm the type of cat to be in a Clan. The stories sound amazing, but there's all sorts of dangers." Alder added. "Promise you'll be careful?"

"I will." Copper promised.

She spent sunhigh onwards strolling around Twolegplace, saying her goodbyes and occasionally asking for recruitment, of which she found none. It wasn't that her friends were bad in any way – she could understand completely the lack of allure of living in the wild on a dead cat's say-so.

All too soon, the moon had risen and she padded to the fence marking the edge of the Twoleg nests. She leaped over this fenceline then made her way to the last edge of grass separating her known world from the lake, taking a deep breath as she crossed the boundary.

In the shade of a birch, a figure of stars glowed.

"Welcome, Copper. Are you ready to begin?"


	19. Chapter 19

"Yes." She ignored the squirming in her stomach as she was led to a stone hollow. The area was large – rotting brambles covered the entrance, but if she craned her neck, she could see vertical walls webbed with tiny cracks, hiding mosses and ferns. She'd never seen anything so wild in her life.

"Is this... the camp?"

"Yes. Welcome home, Copper. I'll gather some moss to make a nest. You can clear these brambles." With that simple instruction, Copper started to shift the bramble husks aside, dumping them near a tree. It was exhausting work, and her paws soon ached as she dragged bramble after bramble away from the hollow. She dragged the last one in just as Firestar was returning, and she felt a sharp prick of pain. She saw a bramble thorn sticking out of the raw pawpad, wincing as she limped into the camp.

"What's up?"

"Brambles are the worst."

"Thorns?"

"A big one." Firestar motioned for her to hold her paw out, which she did reluctantly. Firestar swiftly yanked it out, causing her to hiss in pain.

"Give it a good lick. It'll soon heal. Tomorrow we can hunt, but today I brought you a vole."

"Thanks!" She purred, devouring the creature and feeling a semblance of energy come to her.

"Now I'll show you the camp." Still licking her paw, Copper trailed behind him.

"This is the medicine den." A cool gouge in the cliff face lay ahead, where the sweet scent of ancient leaves permeated the air, making Copper feel woozy. "You get used to it, and besides, these herbs are rotting." He explained, seeing her drooping.

They quickly exited the den, as Firestar moved onto the nursery. "This is our nursery, where all the kits were raised. Your mother herself was born here."

"Sparkpelt was telling me that she tried to make a nursery for us when we were younger. The Twolegs found us before we opened our eyes."

Firestar nodded. "Yes, that sounds like her." Another bush drifted into view, this time the warriors' den.

"Why's it so big?"

"We were a big Clan before the Twolegs came."

"Ah."

"The leader's den is right up there, on Highledge. Come and see me there if you need me. As for you, you'll sleep in the apprentices' den. "

She was led to a cavern in the rocks, marked with the hollowed branches of an upturned tree.

"Take half of the moss I brought. That should be enough for you to sleep in."

She obliged, taking the bundle of moss and setting it down. She curled up in it, finding it nowhere near as comfortable as her bed at home.

Regardless, she had soon drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

She was homesick. All of the prey in the world couldn't replace her friends, especially those too deeply rooted in kittypet life to leave.

She sighed, creeping into a hollow log and hoping for a mouse. Behind her, a furry brown shape twitched. _Perfect._ She stalked forward, pouncing on it with vigour.

"Hey! What are you doing?" She was surprised to see a brown tabby cat instead of the mouse she'd been hunting.

"Sorry. I thought some mice may have taken shelter in here."

"Well, you found something taking shelter. I'm Branch."

"Copperpaw."

"Nice to meet you. I was just waiting in here – the clouds are darkening. It looks like rain."

"Mouse dung."

"Yeah. I know we'd miss it if it goes, but it just seems to make life harder."

"Yep. And then you have to deal with the travesty of muddy paws!" Branch laughed as she wiggled her paws at him faux-menacingly.

"Oh, the horror!"

"And then, what's worse... all the moss is wet!"

"How could a cat survive?" He joked.

"By being like those RiverClanners I've heard about?"

"True. They always used to have water in their pelts, or so Ma told me."

"Oh, my mother says they did. They used to eat fish and everything!"

"I'm- I'm happy here." His voice became a touch less animated.

"Are you?"

"Ye-no. Problem is, my old home's a bit too overrun to go back."

"Oh."

"But it's alright. I get to meet interesting cats now. Like you."

The sound of pawsteps jolted them both.

"I'd better go."

"Meet you again soon?"

"I'd love to." She purred.

A moon passed. Every couple of sunrises, Copperpaw would slip away from camp and meet Branch. Although Firestar trained her well, he seemed to know that she wouldn't be up to recruit. Finally, she realised that the life of a Clan cat didn't suit her.

"If that's what makes you happiest, I won't stop you. I know the bonds that you can share with Twolegs."

"I'm sorry, Firestar."

"Don't be. You've already been in the Clan longer than most cats who agree to come."

He nodded to her one last time, and she raced away into the forest, eager to get home.

"It's alright." Her mother blinked at her. "Clan life doesn't suit every cat. I just want you to walk the path that you feel is best for you."

"That will be kittypet life then."

"Remember, Copper. There will come a day when you have kits, and they will walk their own paths. Just remember to let them go." Sparky had never seemed so wise to her, even as kits. Sparky let out a wheeze.

"Mother! Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just a bit of a nasty cough. The Cutter'll fix me right up."

"Alright." She padded home to her Twolegs, who greeted her with warm yowls, cuddles and (of course) a long bath. She longed to reassure them but knew that they wouldn't be able to understand.

A couple of weeks later, once the housefolk took her to the Cutter to check for parasites, they found kits.


	21. Chapter 21

The Twoleg nest was burning. She had gone to visit Alder and Bramble, to break the news that they were going to be uncles. But their nest was on fire and panicked yowls split the air. She could see a Twoleg yowling into a weird rock, but still no sign of either brother.

Finally, Alder raced out, panting and sobbing. The Twoleg tried to pick him up, but he crashed through the bushes.

"Alder, where's Bramble?"

Alder sobbed, sinking onto his haunches.

"Alder, where's Bramble?" She repeated, more firmly this time.

"D-dead... told me to run..."

Copper looked at the nest in shock. Her brother, the one with the mischievous smile and the endless optimism, gone. She wrapped her tail around Alder's and sobbed until no more tears would come.

That was the way that the Twolegs found them later, both exhausted from grief and clinging to one another.

She moved into the cold light of dawn. Her mother had gotten worse; there were whispers that it was something that the Twolegs couldn't cure.

She wondered how her mother would take the news.

She leapt onto her mother's fence, only to see a fresh-turned mound of dirt where her mother should have been. Her collar, the one she had always hated, lay on top of the fresh grave and made her retch.

 _How will I do this?_

She took a the offending collar away from the grave. In its place, she placed dandelions from the garden onto her mother's grave – wild, like her.

What was that prayer she learned? The death one?

"May you find your way to StarClan. May you find good running, swift hunting, and safety where you sleep." _Both of you._

She moved away from the nests. Her housefolk, once she came inside, tried to pet her, play with her, feed her. They even offered her some tuna, a rare delicacy.

It didn't matter. Food didn't bring them back.

When Alder and his housefolk moved away, she felt as if she had no family left.

On a grassy precipice in StarClan, Sparkpelt awoke. Stars shimmered at every hair on her pelt as she surveyed the scene. Her eyes came to rest on a younger dark-

"What are you doing here, Bramble?"

"There was a fire at my housefolk's nest. I was able to save Alder, but..."

"Oh, my son. You were so brave."

"Indeed." Bramblestar walked up to them; Alderheart, Sandstorm, Firestar, Squirrelflight and _Sparrowkit_ stood behind him.

"Weren't I a kittypet?" Bramble asked.

"You were, but you still had some belief in StarClan. And that was enough to grant you access to both afterlives."

"Both?"

"Yes. If you go through that tunnel of trees, you can see the kittypets' afterlife. I believe one Tallstar used it to communicate with Jake."

"I missed you all so much." Sparkpelt purred.

"So did we. Juniperkit and Dandelionkit are almost frantic with excitement!"

"Come on, Mama." Sparrowkit told her. "There's _so much_ I want to show you!"


	22. Chapter 22

"Branch!" She purred, looking down at her three new kits.

"Took me a while, but after a tip, I found you. So these are ours?"

"Yeah. This is Tangerine, that is Stevie, and I was thinking of naming this one Bark, sort of after you."

"After me?"

"Of course, you silly thing."

"Copperpaw- this is-"

"No need to thank me. After all, we made them together."

"I'll see if I can find a place to live nearby, okay?"

"Of course. I won't disappear again."

''I'm glad of that." Tangerine mewled, squirming closer to her mother's belly. Copper purred, licking her mate on the cheek.

 _Let your kits choose their own paths._

 _I will, mother._ She let out a breath. _While I still have them, I will cherish them like no other._

 **Six Moons Later**

"You have a lot to learn." Tangerine craned her neck to find the source of the noise, only to meet the eyes of a cat that looked eerily similar to her.

"Why is it always his family that gets the glory?" Leopardstar asked.

"She's just a tenth-cat, Leopardstar. Calm down." Sandstorm told her.

"Yeah, right." Blackstar scoffed. "She's as curious as he was when he entered the forest!"

"Alright, alright!" Tallstar interjected. "The Clans have a decent chance and you get to collect on all of those bets you made! Now can you please stop acting like immature kits?"

"I am not a kit." Blackstar growled.

"I never said you were, which is precisely why you should stop behaving like one."

"Hmph. I guess Russetfur does owe me a nice lizard now."

Yellowfang walked up to the group, eyes shining. "She's going to be a good tenth-cat. I can tell. And Firestar wants us to help."

"I can do that." Sandstorm purred.

"Yep, new apprentices and all that. Runningnose can deal with the idiots up here."

Firestar led her into camp, and they were all pleased to note her awestruck expression.

"Don't worry." Sandstorm told the young kittypet, although she knew that she wouldn't be heard. "You will rebuild our Clans, and StarClan will be there to help you every step of the way."


End file.
